Flowers
A family tradition in bloom
The Chamberlain family have cultivated spring flowers at Hadstock Farm in Mid Canterbury since the 1930s. Country Life pays them a visit as the last of the bulbs are dug up before it's time to plant… Audio, Gallery
La Vie en Rose
Steve Moffatt's parents were the first commercial rose growers in New Zealand, starting in 1949. Business has blossomed since Steve joined in 1972, and now they're cutting more than 3 million stems a… Audio
Fuel crisis puts heat on flower industry
Flower growers and exporters are being hit hard by the airline fuel shortage, with some already losing business.
Green Light for Quakers to resume prison deliveries
The Quakers have delivered flowers to inmates at Mt Eden Prison since the Frist World War. But this year's delivery was cast into doubt, due to security concerns from the Department of Corrections… Audio
When orchids smell like mushrooms - a tale of botanical deceit
Spider orchids that smell like mushrooms are fooling fungus gnats into pollinating them, and Carlos Lehnebach wants to find out more about this botanical deception. Video, Audio
NZ Flower Week
Kathryn Flemming from The Flower Project talks about being a florist, the flower industry and shares some tips and tricks for flower displays. Audio
Dazzling daffodils
Clandon Daffodils grows more than a million stems of daffodils each year. The classic yellow daffodil is always a top seller but there are hundreds of other commercial varieties and hundreds more seen… Audio, Gallery
Electric bumblebees
Bumblebees can sense electric fields generated by flowers, and are using these electrical signals as a navigational aid to distinguish between different flowers as they buzz around gathering pollen… Audio
Gardening: Roses
Lynn Freeman talks to Eileen Wilcox from the New Zealand Rose Society and Hamilton Gardens rose specialist Alice Gilliams. Audio, Gallery
Blooming Business
Specialising in gerberas and roses, Paul Loader's nursery in Springston South produces more than two million stems of cut flowers per year. He sells them through wholesale auction houses and… Audio
Our Own Odysseys - Dozens of Donkeys: Ethiopia
It may have links with the Queen of Sheba and the Ark of the Covenant but while visiting Ethiopia for the first time, Jill Worrall was also impressed by the large number of donkeys... Audio
Mutant Petunias and Understanding Colour in Plants
The popular petunia flower is helping plant biologists unlock the genetic secrets behind plant colour and pattern Audio
Flower thefts
Sam Knight has written about the strange theft of one of the world's rarest flowers from Kew Gardens in London earlier this year. Audio
Blooming Gerberas
Bernie Kay has been growing flowers commercially for 35 years. He grows 660,000 gerberas a year in Ramarama south of Auckland and has 4 hectares in irises. Audio
Lilies by Blewden
David Blewden is the president of the New Zealand Flower Growers' Association. He is also one of the country's largest growers of lilies. In the ten days before Mothers' Day 100,000 lilies leave his… Audio
The Chatham Island forget-me-not wins plant of the year
The Chatham Island forget-me-not has beaten a deadly nettle to become New Zealand's favourite plant for 2010. Audio